The Cultural Production of Amazonia

This course will explore the discursive and imaginary construction of the Amazon rainforest in Latin American literature, cinema, and visual arts. It will focus on how cultural production has contributed to imagining the Amazon rainforest and advocating for its environmental justice. While engaging with the history of Amazonia and different cultural artifacts, we will study the history and ideas of colonialism, neocolonialism, extractivism, and indigenous ontologies. The course will also address how cultural production can continue informing environmental and climate activism today.